Shymkent Challengers, Kazakhstan (Clay)- May 2022

[sameerph]

2 weeks of challengers taking place in Kazakhstan for next 2 weeks on red clay. Mukund and Arjun are playing singles qualifying and Arjun is playing doubles too.

Both started with wins in first qualfying round and are thru final qualifying round.

At Shymkent 1 Challenger, Kazakhstan

[Q1] (7) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,411) d. (WC) Bekzhan Yerezhep (KAZ,NR) 61 60

[Q1] (12) Arjun Kadhe (IND,553) d. Sergey Fomin (UZB,804) 63 42 retd.

Next,

[Q2] (7) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,411) vs. (4) Ivan Gakhov (KAZ,396)

[Q2] (12) Arjun Kadhe (IND,553) vs. (6) Akexander Lazarov (USA,409)

[sameerph]

Mukund qualifies for main draw with a good win in Q2. Arjun lost.

[Q2] (7) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,411) d. (4) Ivan Gakhov (KAZ,396) 75 63

[Q2] (12) Arjun Kadhe (IND,553) l. (6) Akexander Lazarov (USA,409) 46 26

Next,

[R1] (Q) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,411) vs. Denis Yevseyev (KAZ,337)

They are 1-1 in head to head meetings with Mukund winning the last meeting in January. But, that was on indoor hard courts and this is on clay on home courts of Yevseyev. So, lets see.

In doubles,

[R1] (2) Arjun Kadhe (IND) / Vladyslav Manafov (UKR) vs. (WC) Alibek Kachmazov (KAZ) / Belbit Zukayev (KAZ)

[suresh]

Score for Arjun's Q2 match?

[sameerph]

Oops, updated above.

[Omkara]

Good to see Arjun playing singles and having some good results. He still doesn't deserve a singles wild card in Pune. But if he continues to play singles qualies maybe he becomes a more deserving candidate

[sameerph]

Mukund lost in straight sets.

[R1] (Q) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,411) l. Denis Yevseyev (KAZ,337) 57 26

[jayakris]

Mukund needs to put things together. He seems to have some talent, but is not moving up like I was hoping...

[sameerph]

Arjun won the doubles first round.

[R1] (2) Arjun Kadhe (IND) / Vladyslav Manafov (UKR) d. (WC) Alibek Kachmazov (KAZ) / Beibit Zukayev (KAZ) 61 62

Next,

[QF] (2) Arjun Kadhe (IND) / Vladyslav Manafov (UKR) vs. Alexander Savchenko (RUS) / Denis Yevseyev (KAZ)

[prasen9]

Mukund needs to put things together. He seems to have some talent, but is not moving up like I was hoping...

Maybe he ate too much during the COVID hiatus too. So, he has gotten too heavy. More gravity means he has trouble moving up.

[jayakris]

^^ For a minute, I thought you were serious there

[prasen9]

I am never serious.

[sameerph]

They lost in QF.


[QF] (2) Arjun Kadhe (IND) / Vladyslav Manafov (UKR) l.Alexander Savchenko (RUS) / Denis Yevseyev (KAZ) 46 63 9-11

[sameerph]

Both Arjun and Mukund make it to second qualifying round this week.

At ShymKent 2 Challenger 80, Kazakhstan

[Q1] (8) Arjun Kadhe (IND,416) d. (WC) Nikita Sidorov (KAZ,NR) 64 61

[Q1] (2) Sasikumar Mukund (IND,416) bye

Next,

[Q2] (8) Arjun Kadhe (IND,416) vs. Grigoriy Lomakin (KAZ,856)

[Q2] (2) Sasikumar Mukund (IND,416) vs. Vladyslav Manafov (KAZ,1079)

[sameerph]

Both Arjun and Mukund qualified for main draw.

[Q2] (8) Arjun Kadhe (IND,542) d. Grigoriy Lomakin (KAZ,859) 61 76(1)

[Q2] (2) Sasikumar Mukund (IND,418) d. Vladyslav Manafov (KAZ,1062) 63 61

Main draw-

{R1] (Q) Arjun Kadhe (IND,542) vs. (5) Evgeny Karlovsky (RUS,272)

[R1] (Q) Sasikumar Mukund (IND,418) vs. (WC) Belbit Zukayev (KAZ,491)

[PKBasu]

[R1] (Q) Arjun Kadhe (IND,542) l. (5) Evgeny Karlovsky (RUS,272) 46 64 16

[R1] (Q) Sasikumar Mukund (IND,418) l. WC-Belbit Zukayev (KAZ,491) 16 67

Arjun put up a fight against the fifth seed. Mukund's loss to a lower-ranked wildcard must be demoralizing.
Arjun still has doubles, where he is the top seed.